Bennett's Wallaby

Range: Native to Southeastern Australia from Mt. Gambier in the south to slightly north of Rockhampton. A subspecies lives on the Tasmanian and Bass Strait Islands.

Bennett's Wallabies were transported to New Zealand in the late 1800’s, where they are suspected of upsetting the ecosystem, and Southern France in the 1970’s, where a wild population of around 30 animals still exists. There is also a small exotic colony on a tiny windswept island (Inchonnachan) off of Scotland.

Habitat: Dry grasslands and coastal scrub forests. They have adapted well to human activities and are often seen near urban areas and lawns.

Description: Bennett's Wallabies are one of the largest of the 17 species of wallabies, standing on average about 29-39 inches tall and weighing 24-54 pounds (most commonly between 30 and 35). Tail length is 25-34 inches.

They have a grizzled gray to reddish coat with females being noticeably paler. Their necks and shoulders have pronounced reddish brown coloration and they have dark muzzles, feet and paws.

Dietary Classification:
Diet in Zoo: Commercial diet, with greens for enrichment
Diet in Wild: Grasses and herbs on which they graze, bark, twigs and fruit.

Reproduction: Bennett's wallabies have the ability to breed any month of the year. Females can begin to breed at 14 months and males at 19 months. They are easily bred in captivity.
Male wallabies are called ‘bucks’ and females are ‘does’.

Gestation/incubation: Gestation is around 30 days.

Offspring: Wallabies five birth to one young at a time. A newborn joey is only ½ to ¾ of an inch long and pulls it’s way to the pouch where it stays for up to 8 months. When they grow too big so stay in the pouch, they may stay close to the mother for some time. Australians refer to them at this stage as “a joey at the foot”.

Longevity: Up to 20 years

Behavior/Adaptations: They are generally solitary, but can graze at night in loose groups of up to 30 animals (known as a mob). They are considered to be crepuscular (most active in the hours around dawn and dusk). Wallabies can leap over 5’ in a single bound and generally use the balance of their tail to leap about in a zig-zag fashion. Like other members of their family, they can go long stretches without water and can procure most of it from their diet.

Status: Least Concern, due mainly to their ability to breed year-round and also their adaptability to human activities. But they have been trapped extensively for fur and historically persecuted by ranchers who claim that they compete with cattle and sheep for grass.